We ‘mull’ over this much loved hot concoction enjoyed very much in Winter. It has many unique names and styles; Glögg in Sweden, Glühwein in Germany, and Grzaniec Galicyjski in Poland or Coditum Paradoxum in Italy. Mulled wine is wine heated and infused with sweet spices; like cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and fennel. Some recipes add aromatic herbs or pepper for a bit of spice and saffron for its fragrance and colour. Numerous countries even elevate it with a generous splash of their favourite spirit, add to this citrus fruit, juice or peel, honey or sugar and you will be warmed to the cockles o ..read more

We always submit our wines to Sam Kim for his professional assessment and critique. Sam has been involved within the New Zealand Hospitality industry for over 30 years and holds a Certificate in Winemaking from EIT (Hawke’s Bay), and has also been judging wines for the last 20 years at various wine competitions and magazines. He lives in Auckland with his family. We appreciate Sam’s reviews and his commitment to the wine industry together with many wine enthusiasts around New Zealand. His reviews are always informative, balanced and fair. Hawkshead Reserve Pinot Noir 2021, Central Otago 5 Star ..read more

We celebrate with the best match made in culinary heaven; HAWKSHEAD Pinot Noir & Chocolate Mousse. Here is a simple, no frills, tried & trusted recipe from the Doyenne of good food; Mary Berry. You need only four ingredients, found in every kitchen and can even be whipped up in a hut on a hiking trip. Just make sure you pack whisk and be careful with the eggs. This CHOCOLATE MOUSSE is a real teat and serves 6-8 Ingredients 225g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces a knob of butter 3 large eggs, separated 150ml cream (long life if tramping) lightly whipped    Instructio ..read more

Citrus Glazed Duck Breast with pickled pear, salad leaves & soft Goats cheese. Generous for 4 people, still plenty for 6 and don’t worry, it is very easy.  Only three easy elements assemble and no special culinary skills required.  It’s a flavour explosion and a taste revelation when accompanied by a glass of 2021 HAWKSHEAD ‘Reserve’ Pinot Noir. Pickled Pear 2 firm pears, skin on or off, cored & sliced ½ cup sugar 1 tsp salt ½ cinnamon stick 2 cloves 3 black peppercorns ½ cup water ½ cup apple cider vinegar Mix all ingredients together and bring to the boil ..read more

As you may know, the beautiful birds on our bottles are by William John Swainson FLS, FRS, English ornithologist, malacologist, conchologist, entomologist and artist and those exquisite drawings are from his book; 'The Birds of Mexico & Brazil', published in 1841.    He was one of Denis's ancestors and named his first colonial home in New Zealand' Hawkshead', after the village of his ancestral home in the English Lake District, and that is the Hawkshead vineyard connection.  The 19th century was the Victorian era of exploration and discovery into the nat ..read more

It is quite hard to know where to start when contemplating Riesling. Let us begin with the history of the wine, followed by some wine facts on potential ageing and finish trying to explain why we can start a dinner with a bone dry Riesling and finish with a Noble Riesling dessert wine … And have you heard about Red Riesling? Lets start with some historical facts Riesling is the oldest recorded grape variety. There are several mentions of Riesling in the 15th century, one in 1402 in the records of the city of Worms in Germany and the next dates from 1435 and is an entry to the accounts of Graf ..read more

Fetch yourself a glass of Pinot Gris and somewhere comfortable to sit down and we start to explain the difference between Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio. Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are wines crafted from the exact same grape variety. There is no genetic or DNA disparity whatsoever. It is a grape with a greyish/brownish pink skin, hence the name 'gris', masculine from grey in French. Despite the appearance of the grape, it is officially a white grape variety. It originated in France and a mutation, a very close relation, of the Burgundian Pinot Noir grape. The grape is the same, but the wines ..read more

We enjoy reading Raymond Chan Wine Reviews by Candice Chow. Candice has extensive wine knowledge through her many years of working in the hospitality industry. She beautifully grasps the complimentary interaction between wine and food in a wonderfully creative way. Candice’s reviews will entice you to be adventurous and send your tastebuds on a quest to discover something new. Her ability to describe the wine is to the point and food matching suggestions (hmmm ?, haven’t thought of this pairing) are sometimes thought-provoking. Hopefully, you find reading Candice’s reviews as appeali ..read more

There is nothing quite as refreshing as a cool glass of light, fruit-driven wine on a warm summer day. This summer, the top of your list should be the Hawkshead Pinot Blanc. The aromas of ripe stone fruits, hints of citrus and a touch of sweet spice makes for the perfect social drink at any time of the day.  The team at Hawkshead felt there was one Pinot missing from their portfolio, so after a serious search, they found the perfect Central Otago Pinot Blanc. Trust me - you don’t want to miss this one on your stop at Kinross with Altitude Tours!   The poetic flavour blends originate ..read more

Do you know…. Grape vines self-pollinate, they have both male and female reproductive characteristics and don’t need bees for pollination. A notable exception to the rule. But what many people don’t know is that flowering grape vines have the most delicious faint fragrance. Unworldly at dawn on a still morning. The University of British Columbia scientists have traced the fragrant scent of grapevine flowers to pollen grains stored in the anthers, contrary to common perception that petals alone produce perfume. They identified a gene that produces and regulates the fragrance from the vines' ti ..read more